What Are Your Writing Rituals?

Posted by Suzanne Pitner Aug 16, 2009

Writers have rituals, just as sports stars have rituals. Have you ever noticed when a major league baseball player comes up to the plate to bat, he usually has a routine he follows. It might be adjusting his helmet, tapping the bat on the plate, and digging his foot in the dirt. Others wipe their hands on their shirts, squat down, and wave the bat in a circle above their heads. If you watch enough baseball, you’ll notice the same players following the same ritual each time they are on deck.

Writers have rituals too. Every serious writer I know follows a routine before they sit down to write. Some have a cup of coffee and watch the sun rise before they write. Others use a journal to warm up their writing muscles. Some take the dog for a walk, and work out their creative plot ideas in their heads. When they get back, they are ready to start.

My own ritual involves rising before anyone else in the house is up. I need the quiet time to think while I write. I turn on my computer and stumble into the kitchen to get a cup of coffee with cream. When I sit down, I check in with my Twitter friends, look at my writing to-do list, (yes, I plan out my writing weeks ahead of time,) then get started. Each morning, this little routine puts me in the frame of mind to do my most productive writing.

How about you? What is your writing ritual?